The Premier League title will be decided this weekend, with Manchester United and Chelsea fighting it out at opposite ends of the country. Inter Milan are only one win away from the Scudetto, while Lyon need to take all three points and hope that Bordeaux slip up if they are to retain their Ligue 1 crown with a week to spare. FIFA.com takes you through all of the possible permutations in Europe's top leagues.
Premier League: Down to the wire
It will be winner takes all on Sunday when leaders
Manchester United and rivals Chelsea face off at opposite ends of
the country. Level on points, United have the upper hand thanks to
their vastly superior goal difference and will be making the short
journey to Wigan Athletic. Chelsea, meanwhile, are at home to
16th-placed Bolton Wanderers.
Arsenal and Liverpool have locked up the other UEFA Champions
League slots, but a UEFA Cup berth is still open. Everton, in
fifth, have a three-point cushion over Aston Villa, but if the
Toffees slip up against Newcastle United then the door will be open
for the Birmingham-based club to outstrip them, something victory
over West Ham United would achieve.
Fulham and Reading will play away at Portsmouth and the
already-relegated Derby County respectively as they fight against
survival with Birmingham City, who are a point behind the pair in
19th and need to make home advantage count when they host Blackburn
Rovers.
The question: Can Chelsea possibly squeeze past
Manchester United at the post?
The big match: Wigan Athletic-Manchester United,
Sunday 11 May, 16.00 CET
The quote: "It's going to be a tough
match. Wigan have some good players, as they proved when they held
Chelsea to a draw,"
Ryan Giggs, Manchester United.
Bundesliga: European slots still wide open
Other than top spot, there is almost everything to
play for in Germany. Runners-up Werder Bremen and third-placed
Schalke are battling each other for Champions League qualification,
with the former at home to Hanover and the Royal Blues hosting
Eintracht Frankfurt.
The race is also on for the UEFA Cup spots, particularly since
Hamburg, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen all lost during the week.
Hamburg are in pole position with two matches to go, though they
have to travel to relegation-threatened Energie Cottbus this
weekend. Leverkusen visit Hansa Rostock, who are as good as down
already, while all eyes will be on the match between Wolfsburg and
Stuttgart, who sit two places above their hosts in the table.
The question: Can Bayer Leverkusen put an end to a
run of four defeats at Hansa Rostock this weekend?
The big match: Wolfsburg-Stuttgart, Saturday 10
May, 15.30 CET.
The quote: "It's hard to stop thinking
about it, but now we have to draw on all our resources to try and
beat Rostock,"
Bayer Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe after his
side's 2-0 defeat by Hertha Berlin.
Serie A: Inter looking to wrap things up
League leaders Inter Milan are aiming to secure
their third
Scudetto in a row on Sunday, with Roberto Mancini's
side needing a win over Siena to put the title out of reach of
Roma, who face Atalanta.
Juventus have already secured third place, but the race for
Italy's fourth Champions League berth is a tight affair with AC
Milan and Fiorentina level on points. Milan are away to
ninth-placed Napoli in the penultimate round, while Fiorentina are
at home to relegation-threatened Parma.
The question: Will Inter Milan make it a hat-trick
of successive titles on Sunday?
The big match: Inter Milan-Siena, Sunday 11 May,
15.00 CET.
The quote: "Our fate is in our hands.
There's not a lot left to say. The Napoli match is of critical
importance to us,"
Massimo Ambrosini, AC Milan captain.
Ligue 1: Everything to play for in France
Those pundits who predicted that this year's
Ligue 1 title race would be an open one were few and far between,
but with perennial favourites Lyon spinning their wheels over the
past month (one win out of their last five), the gap between them
and Bordeaux in second has shrunk to a mere two points as the
season enters its penultimate round. To make things worse for Lyon,
they have to face a Nancy team currently in third place and
desperate to secure a Champions League slot. Bordeaux, meanwhile,
are at home to 13th-placed Sochaux.
Fourth-placed Marseille will be hoping for three points from
their trip to Le Mans to keep the pressure on Nancy in the race for
a podium finish. The relegation battle is arguably even tighter.
Strasbourg, in 19th, require a minor miracle to survive, while
Toulouse, Lens and Paris Saint-Germain, in 16th, 17th and 18th
respectively, are all on 39 points.
The question: Can Nancy prevent Lyon from sewing
up another title?
The big match: Lyon-Nancy, Saturday 10 May, 20.45
CET
The quote: "The fans have always supported me
and I have always given my all for them. Now the time has come to
say goodbye, and what better leaving present for them than making
sure that PSG stay up in Ligue 1? That would be the best farewell
party that I could imagine,"
Pauleta, Paris Saint-Germain striker.
La Liga: The fight for fourth
The title has been decided, and while runners-up
Villarreal and third-placed Barcelona have also got the Champions
League slots sewn up, the remaining European berths are still being
hotly contested.
Atletico Madrid currently occupy fourth spot and a home win
over Deportivo La Coruna would guarantee them a place in the
continent's most prestigious club competition, although Sevilla
still hold out hope of another Champions League appearance. They
will, however, have an ever tougher time of it this weekend as they
are at home to arch-rivals Real Betis. Racing Santander and Real
Mallorca both have their eyes on the final UEFA Cup ticket and each
face stiff opposition away from home this penultimate weekend.
Santander have to travel to Athletic Bilbao, in ninth, while
Mallorca will pay a visit to Barcelona.
At the other end of the table, Real Valladolid, Real
Zaragoza, Recreativo Huelva and Osasuna will be scrapping for every
point as they look to preserve their top-flight statuses.
The question: Will Sevilla secure another
Champions League berth or will Atletico Madrid maintain their hold
on fourth spot?
The big match: Atletico Madrid-Deportivo La
Coruna, Sunday 11 May, 21.00 CET.
The quote: "We're not going to win a
trophy this year but it is of the utmost importance that we finish
the season in style,"
Thierry Henry, Barcelona forward.
Elsewhere
Galatasaray are within reach of the title in Turkey,
requiring only a draw from their home match against Genclerbirligi.
Fenerbahce are all but certain of finishing second, while Sivasspor
and Besiktas are both in the running for the final European
spot.
